Leah Taguba KCPAO Women in Leadership
This Women’s History Month, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is highlighting some of the depth and breadth of women leaders in our office as part of our “Women in Leadership” series. These profiles are only a few of the many amazing women in our office.
How long have you worked at the PAO?
I started February of 2006.
What is your role in the PAO?
I am currently the Chair of the District Court Unit. It is basically the introductory unit for all the new attorneys that come to the office, and all of the law students that become a Rule 9. I oversee the work of all the misdemeanors that are non-domestic violence in King County in our three locations: Seattle, Kent and Redmond.
It is actually really cool to go back to District Court after going through all the different rotations. Having learned so much, and now having the opportunity to teach and be a part of something where I can help shape and mentor those who are coming in behind me is awesome. I’ve gotten a chance to fall back in love with District Court as well as relive what it’s like to be a brand new attorney in this office again, after going through the rigors of the various felony units. Learning to appreciate and remember what it’s like to be young and hungry to learn helps me keep that level of curiosity and exuberance to motivate and inspire young people to grow in their own practice.
What were you doing before coming to the PAO?
Before law school I worked for the Department of Commerce in the DC area, as a statistician demographer for the Census Bureau. Working for the Census — it comes in waves. Every time we have a new Census there is lots of data to analyze.
I was drawn to the Census Bureau because they changed the race question for the 2000 Census, so I was excited to do analytical papers on it. But because I was so brand new I only got on one published paper during that time. I wasn’t going to be patient enough to wait another decade to get on to the new data. So I was like “I’m not that good at this anyways,” and I wanted to get back into the law and work on some of the other things I’m super interested in.
I went back to law school in Los Angeles and eventually made my way back to Washington where I grew up. I waited for an opportunity to come back to the PAO, and it took a little while. I got passed over a couple times for a contract position, but I finally got a chance and I got hired as a contractor in February of 2006.
When I was in law school, I didn’t want anything to do with criminal law, in fact I actively fought against it. But it was through the mentorship of some prosecutors that I worked with at the LA District Attorney’s office, that I realized that working as a prosecutor actually had much more appeal to me than what I thought.
Coming to our office specifically had everything to do with — even then — the more progressive way it was dealing with different types of cases. It was the first time I had heard of a Drug Court. Not long after, the office dismantled the Drug Unit, and it was then I realized I wanted to be a part of something so much bigger than myself. And particularly, to do justice in a way that I thought I could be more proactive than reactive.
What are some of your goals in regards to the work you do?
One of the coolest things about my role, is this office has really given me a seat at the table to help determine what our future office will look like: who will it be comprised off, and what values those individuals will contribute to our office.
Most of the contracts attorneys and all of the students that are Rule 9s come through me in District Court, and so in addition to teaching them trial fundamentals and introducing them to KCPAO’s mission and culture, I have an opportunity to have input in what this office will look like 10, 15, 20 years down the road. One of my goals is to fill our offices with excellent attorneys that are reasonable, kind, empathetic and just; who not only have those values instilled in their own ethos, but also reflect the people that they serve.
Additionally, diversifying our workforce is extremely important to me as an attorney and woman of color. Having diverse people representing our office builds bridges in our community instills trust with victims and even defendants who they are prosecuting. I think when you have a more diverse workforce, it results in a broader range of perspectives and ultimately more equitable outcomes.
What sort of obstacles have you faced in your field? What was it like dealing with those?
The first one that comes to mind is simply being a woman of color in this field. Gaining trust is difficult when you are a person of color prosecuting people who oftentimes look like you. Having to explain or even justify my “why” — as to why I’m a prosecutor — has been very challenging. I think it’s easy for most people who haven’t spent any time in this office or haven’t really understood the mission or what we do, to label us as being against communities of color. But being a woman of color and prosecutor allows me to not only advocate for marginalized victims but remain empathetic to defendants who often come from those same marginalized communities. So maintaining that “why” throughout the things that I do, even in the most mundane acts, and having to really understand who I am as a woman of color and how my decisions impact others is something I deal with every day. It’s multilayered, but my “why” guides me to do what is just and right.
I’m a pretty petite person and also pretty bubbly — so as a woman being taken seriously and being seen as credible and legitimate has always been an obstacle for me. I feel like I’ve had to put in so much more effort, consistency and achieve more than some of my male counterparts. But the good news is I think over time the PAO has tried to see those challenges, and have lifted up women, and people of color by placing them in leadership positions. It is because of this that I have been entrusted even more with the position of leadership that I have. That’s definitely created a sense of commitment to this office because it supports me, it hears me, and gives me a seat at the table to do the work that I do and contribute in the way that I have.
At the end of the day, when you strive to achieve, your work does speak for itself. And I truly believe that maybe my path was a little bit longer than others in promoting or getting leadership positions, but the end result will always win the day if you are tenacious, consistent and are working hard.
Ultimately, one of the tools that benefited me was finding those opportunities of mentorship from those who’ve come before me and giving credit where its due. People are often trying to distinguish themselves and can forget that their success cannot be attributed to them alone; it’s usually from those who’ve come before them who helped, mentored and guided them. I’ve been really fortunate to have had mentors throughout my career who have supported me. Through mentorship and working with others, people see all the good work that you do versus you just telling everyone about the work you are doing, which can help you overcome some of the obstacles in this line of work.
What advice would you give to other women who are considering a similar career path?
Finding mentorship is so important. No matter how successful you become or how many years you put in, mentorship remains a significant part of growth, and comes in so many different forms. Seek out those opportunities where you can because they will prop you up, they will help you get through those times where you are in your head too much, when you’re thinking that you’re not good enough or you didn’t do something the way you should have. They are the ones to help you gain perspective, to give you confidence, and get you through those thorny paths. Mentorship is huge.
Another one — and I wish someone had given this to me earlier in my career — is don’t forget that your family and your friends are just as important as the success that you have in your career. No one will say at the end of the day that “I wish I had spent more time working,” they are going to always say “I wish I had spent more time with my friends and my family.” So self-care, and cultivating those relationships will rejuvenate you and keep you on the right path, especially when this job in particular takes so much from you emotionally, physically, time wise, etc. — finding that balance in cultivating those relationships are just as important.
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Catch up with the entire KCPAO Women in Leadership series on our blog at kcprosecutor.medium.com/.
